Unwilling Betrayal
by NoteEmmy
Summary: There was a time in Mokuba's young life that he would have given anything to be able to convince his older brother to take his hand and run away with him.


Mokuba wasn't sure what had led up to this moment. He was certain he felt scared- terrified, even. He was crouching underneath one of the shallow tables outside his brother's room. It was a table that served no purpose other than decoration; a white tablecloth hanging over it, a vase with fresh flowers sitting atop centered perfectly. He was on his knees now, covering his head with his arms as if to protect himself from any harm. The harm wasn't being done to him, though. All of it was his fault, he knew. To just go in the room and help his older brother would only make it worse, though. That lesson he had already learned.

From time to time he could hear pained grunts, but his elder sibling never cried out in pain. He was too dignified for that. Only when their step-father got really out of hand did that happen. Sometimes, Mokuba felt that was too often. Gozaburo wanted the boy to cry out. That was why he hit him so hard. That was why he got so angry. He wanted to break him. Even being this young, Mokuba could understand that. Or had he heard one of Gozaburo's associates talking about it? Snickering? As if hitting a child until he passed out was the funniest thing in the world. Mokuba would never get why adults were so cruel.

"Let that be another lesson to you, boy." Gozaburo's harsh voice echoed throughout the mansion's hallway as the man stepped through the doorway of the room. "You'll learn soon enough. Either that or you're really aiming to be the most disfigured twelve year old on earth. Either way." The man unleashed a harsh and cold one-note laugh. "You'll learn," He continued, "Or I'll start thinking about punishing the _right_ little brat."

"Don't you dare!" The voice positively screamed this from the room.

Gozaburo turned on his heel. "Oh? Not done being a mouthy brat today? That's fine with me." His tone was dark as he growled. The door was shut behind him this time as he intended to beat the boy twice as hard.

Mokuba couldn't help the sobbing that ensued then. He clamped a hand over his mouth at one point to try and keep quiet. He couldn't stand this. The lives they were leading were not ideal. He would have rathered to be back in the orphanage getting beat up, instead of his brother now. It wasn't fair.

He was a shaking mess by the time the door opened again. Mokuba held his breath, hoping that would keep his step father from finding him. "That's what I thought, boy." The elder Kaiba said in a sneer before his belt was beat against his own hand in warning. "You'll learn to keep that mouth of yours _shut_." With that last word he turned from the room and strode down the hall.

Mokuba continued to stay hidden underneath the table for a full twenty minutes. He counted them all out as best as he could. It was a sort of calming ritual, as well as a helpful one. If he left too soon, he was sure he'd be seen by Gozaburo and everything would be ruined. It was always twenty that he waited.

_56. 57. 58. 59. 60._

The last of the seconds of the twentieth minute were counted down in his head before he lifted the tablecloth and peered down both sides of the hallway. They were dark this time of night, so it was hard to see much of anything. He held his breath again, closing his eyes, as he tried to listen for anyone approaching. An eerie quiet met his ears instead. Once he was satisfied enough he rolled out from underneath the table and scampered into his brother's room. The door was shut very quietly behind him.

There he could see a figure lying half on the couch, one arm draped over it. He wasn't wearing a shirt, his back bloodied. It made Mokuba sick. He nearly wanted to turn and run.

_Never!_

He could never abandon his brother! He admonished himself before stepping closer.

"...Noa?" His own voice was scared and unsure.

"Mokuba..." His brother murmured in a strained sort of voice, his hand raising to motion the other closer.

Immediately he was at his brother's side. Noa's hand went to his head as the younger of the brothers began to cry. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! You told me to get out and I didn't! I'm sorry!" Though he was shouting, it was still somehow quiet. Whispering as loudly as he could instead of giving chance to the fact that Gozaburo would hear him and come back. His sobs were getting to him, causing him to start hiccupping and breathing shorter.

"I-it's alright, Mokuba. He's a bastard. He would have anyway... whether.. you were here or not..." Noa's voice was fading in and out, struggling to keep himself conscious. His body's pain had been shut off from his mind a long time ago, but it was a hard task to endure despite that.

"I don't want to live here anymore, Noa." Mokuba sniffled and huffed a breath into his lungs forcibly. "Can't we run away? Can't we-"

"No." The elder brother said in a harsh one-word tone. "You'll see soon, Mokuba. Everything will be okay. Just like we planned it. It'll ... it'll just be you and me... like always.."

It wasn't an answer Mokuba was all too pleased with. Noa had been promising that after every time that ended this way. But it just seemed like it was never coming. His brother would never lie to him, though. And if he thought this was best, Mokuba would stick with him through anything. He snuggled up into the curve of Noa's arm with another hiccupp. "Yes, Seto."

The world seemed to fuzz around him as he said that. His mind started to race, then burn into a soft headache after. What had he just said? What name was that? He ... Noa. Noa was his brother, right? Of course. What a silly thing to be thinking. Noa... Noa had..

"...Mokuba?" Noa's voice was slightly tense, no longer pained and tired.

Mokuba's big eyes were directed up at his supposed brother. Blue eyes looked back at him in near worry.

Yes, that was right. His older brother had blue eyes. The girls sometimes at the orphanage had fancied him because of them. He remembered that clearly. The green fringe of bangs hanging in his brother's eyes though... had he always had green hair?

Mokuba's eyebrows drew together in confusion. Green hair? Was that right?

"...Seto?"

The name popped from again in a near forcible manner, as if something was fighting against him accepting this picture of his brother. Seto. Seto was his brother's name, wasn't it? With **brown** hair, not green. And the eyes, though the same color, were off too. There was something terribly wrong here.

Mokuba backed away from the touch instantly. "Y-you're not my brother! Where is Seto?" He screamed in his upset. Of course! Seto! Seto was his brother! How could he have forgotten such a thing? He was the worst little brother in the entire world for forgetting that!

"Come on now, Mokuba... if you're not quiet..." Noa warned.

Mokuba wasn't having any of it. "I've had enough of this! Where is my brother? You tell me now or I'll-"

"So, you wanted a round two that badly, boy?" The cold voice cut Mokuba off from his frantic shouting.

The smallest of the two turned with wide eyes. This was still right. Gozaburo was a man he feared more than anyone else. But if Gozaburo was still their father, then where was Seto? Seto should be here, not that fake! Seto would save him, too. ...wouldn't he?

A large beefy hand caught the side of Mokuba's face, sending the small boy towards the other side of the room in a heap. His whole body stung with pain.

"Don't hit my brother!" Noa shouted, trying to latch onto the tall man.

Mokuba was nearly hit straight into unconsciousness, but he struggled. He had to set this right before he could just drop to sleep. Slowly he got up off the floor to see Gozaburo strangling Noa. But the picture didn't hit him as hard as he thought it would. He knew now.

Noa. Noa was Gozaburo's real son. But not his real brother. They were step-brothers, yes. And he'd felt for Noa's situation. Now, however, in the heat of the moment, tampering with his memories like this somehow... Mokuba was furious.

"Get out of my life!" He screamed. Noa and Gozaburo stopped in their fighting to turn their heads towards the boy. It looked like everything was just as fake in that moment. "I tried to understand you, but you go and do something like this? You're not Nii-sama! Don't you **ever** pretend to be! These memories aren't meant for you! They're not meant for anyone!" He shook with rage as he directed all his fury at the two.

Gozaburo sneered. "Pathetic, the two of you. And that boy you call your real brother, too. Tell him that. He always will be." The elder Kaiba dropped Noa with no concern to the floor before turning. "Waste of time. All of you." With that he disappeared through the doorway.

Mokuba was left to turn his anger on Noa alone. "How could you do this?"

"Do what?" Noa sounded unconcerned as he stood, his usual white jacket appearing on him. He tugged on the bottom of it to straighten it out, as if he really didn't care at all about Mokuba's upset.

"You took my memories! You put yourself in them! You tried to trick me into thinking you were my real brother!" His fit of hysterics was growing worse.

"_I_ didn't do anything, Mokuba." The boy said as he turned, placing a hand on his hip. He looked severely disappointed.

Mokuba strode forward, shoving Noa with all the strength he could muster. "Then what do you call this?"

"A dream."

A crack of lightning streaked across the sky accompanied with a burst of loud thunder. Mokuba was jarred out of sleep instantly. His eyes were wide, breathing harsh as he looked around the large and dark room he was in. It was his room- in the mansion. Slowly his gaze drifted down to his hands. They'd been clenched so tightly in sleep that he'd cut the bottom of his palms. It wasn't a matter to be concerned about now, though.

Throwing his covers aside he ran into the bathroom and turned on the light. The mirror reflection told the true story. His face was pale, drenched with sweat- the fourteen year old face he knew now that he really had. Not a young boy anymore. Not under the reign of Kaiba Gozaburo. Never again. Slowly his breathing calmed as he continued to stare at his reflection.

The longer he did, however, the longer he felt disgust. Had he really dreamed all of that? Put Noa in Seto's place? Why would he do that?

The thought made him sick to his stomach. That was a pure form of betrayal. He nearly couldn't handle it. Quickly he lowered towards the toilet, dry heaving as he felt queasy and sick with himself. He just couldn't believe what he'd done.

Once he was sure he was finished, he laid his head on the cool white tile of the bathroom floor and curled up.

His hand reached upwards, blocking out the light overhead.

"'m sorry, Nii-sama..." He murmured, tears falling down from the sides of his eyes as he closed them. His hand dropped to his chest, body tired with the sudden antics. It was only a moment after that his head tilted to the side and he fell asleep once more. Blissfully his dreams had been forbidden from him this time around.


End file.
